


Of Cosmoses and Bush Clovers

by oceansgrey



Category: Naruto
Genre: Crushes, F/F, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Useless Lesbians, flower symbolism
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-03
Updated: 2019-06-03
Packaged: 2020-04-07 01:40:34
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,654
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19074886
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/oceansgrey/pseuds/oceansgrey
Summary: She had always loved Ino more than just a regular friend. She had thought that she had loved Sasuke when she was a naïve little girl, but over the course of the years that he had been gone, she realized that Ino was the one she truly loved.Ino probably didn’t see her the same way, but that didn’t stop her from feeling the urge to grab her face and kiss her all over.In which Sakura is a bit of a useless lesbian, Sasuke gives some form of decent advice, and flowers are exchanged.





	Of Cosmoses and Bush Clovers

**Author's Note:**

> Happy Pride Month!

_When did she get to be so beautiful?_ Sakura thought, tearing her gaze from Ino as her best friend stripped, tossing the damp article of clothing aside.

“C’mon, billboard brow,” Ino said, tying her hair up into a bun atop her head, wiggling out of her skirt. “I want to goooo,”

“Right,” Sakura fought back the blush creeping to her face, thankful somewhat for the summer heat as she worked on slipping out of her shirt.

A nasty heatwave was essentially boiling Konoha to death, most people opting to stay inside in the air conditioning. Naruto had been glued in front of the machine when Sakura had left, Sasuke leaning on his shoulder as the two had sucked on popsicles and complained about the heat radiating from one another.

Ino insisted they go to the small swimming hole she discovered with Choji and Shikamaru, all but dragging Sakura from the nice cool sanctuary of Team Seven’s apartment.

“Ugh, I feel disgusting,” Sakura admitted, hating how the sweat made her skin feel, the grime of the day uncomfortable. She focused on tying her hair back into a ponytail, ignoring the way the underwear Ino wore clung to her cheeks as she bent over to undo her sandals.

It wasn’t until Ino was slipping out of her underwear that Sakura let out a strangled noise, turning to avoid seeing her best friend.

“C’mon, Sakura,” Ino rolled her eyes. “It’s hot. I’m skinny dipping. If you want to be a prude, so be it, but we literally go to the bathhouse together all the time,”

That was different, Sakura wanted to say. They were usually with Tenten and Hinata, and it was just the four of them going to relax, not Ino and Sakura alone in the middle of the woods.

“Fine,” Sakura sighed, turning just as Ino jumped into the water. She surfaced, blonde hair clinging to her face.

“It’s sooo cold,” Ino sighed in relief, floating onto her back. “Hurry up or you’ll melt,”

Sakura nodded, obliging as she stripped of the rest of her clothing, easing her way into the water. The moment her foot became submerged into the icy pool, her instant reaction was the dart away, but the inner urge to be near Ino forced her underwater, relaxing her poor muscles as the cool water helped fight the burn of the sun.

She resurfaced, shaking the loose strands of hair away from her face. Ino treaded closer, a hand reaching out to grab Sakura’s.

“Thank you,” Sakura said. “This feels amazing,”

“We needed a break,” Ino winked. “I figured I’d treat my best friend,”

Sakura laughed, playfully splashing at Ino. Ino’s laugh was like bells, filling the air with sweet sounds that were the only thing Sakura could hear.

Ino swam closer, letting her foot graze against Sakura’s, her arms coming to wrap around her shoulders. The water wasn’t terribly deep, just deep enough that Ino could touch the bottom with the water up to her nose, but Sakura barely could feel the soft bottom of the pool.

Sakura looked so beautiful, the prettiest flower Ino had ever seen, relaxed and carefree with the summer sun sneaking through the leaves to shine on her face.

“Billboard brow,” Ino tutted, leaning close. Sakura giggled, pulling herself free from Ino to swim about.

Ino watched her, the beautiful bud of a little girl that she once befriended that had blossomed into their strongest medic nin, newly appointed head of the hospital.

Sakura truly had blossomed into a beautiful flower, and Ino was happy to help her grow.  

 

Two hours of being in the cool water was enough, Sakura decided as she grasped at the rocky edge, hoisting herself up. Ino was already out of the water, wringing her hair out and stunningly beautiful. Sakura’s heart clenched painfully when Ino turned away from her, her toned shoulder and back muscles moving as she reached for her top.

“The boys will probably be out searching for me if I don’t head back,” Sakura said, standing and stretching. “What do you have planned for the rest of the day?”

Ino shrugged, tossing Sakura her clothes. They dressed quickly as Ino hummed to herself, hips swaying to the beat of her own song.

“Dad might want me to swing by work and see him,” Ino thought aloud. “But other than that, I’ll probably catch dinner with my idiots,”

Ino reached out as Sakura finished slipping her sandals back on, taking her hand in hers.

 

Ino walked Sakura back to her apartment, swinging their hands and pointing out at ridiculous outfits of some of the men in the village. While it was scorching outside, Ino’s hand felt nice in Sakura’s, clenched tight as their fingers were laced.

“Well, here we are,” Sakura said, stopping in front of the stairway that led up to her apartment. “I had fun today, Ino,”

“It was no biggie,” Ino waved off, smiling at Sakura with all her teeth. Her lips looked so soft, and Sakura had the sudden urge to lean forward and kiss her senseless.

She had always loved Ino more than just a regular friend. She had thought that she had loved Sasuke when she was a naïve little girl, but over the course of the years that he had been gone, she realized that Ino was the one she truly loved.

Ino probably didn’t see her the same way, but that didn’t stop her from feeling the urge to grab her face and kiss her all over. 

“I’ll see you around, Billboard Brow?” Ino winked, letting her fingers slip from Sakura’s.

“Uh, yeah,” Sakura tried fighting off the burning of her cheeks. Ino leaned in for a goodbye hug, her arms wrapping around Sakura’s waist tightly as she pulled her friend close to her.

 _Do it, idiot!_ Inner shouted. _Just kiss her, before you regret it!_

Sakura wiggled her hands free enough to place them on the sides of Ino’s face, leaning forward and slotting their lips together.

The kiss was sweet, Ino’s lips so soft and plush under Sakura’s. The kiss was short, Sakura pulling away first, face burning.

“Billboard, I-” Ino stuttered, flustered as her face changed a shade of pink, pinker than Sakura’s hair.

“Bye!” Sakura squealed, turning to bolt up the stairs two at a time before bursting through the front door of her apartment. She slid the three locks into place behind her, sighing as she slumped against the door.

She just kissed her best friend, possibly ruining any semblance of normalcy in her life.

Sakura buried her face in her hands, muffling her scream.

“Was kissing Ino that bad?”

Reluctantly, Sakura lifted her head to glare up at Sasuke, standing before her with a popsicle stick in his mouth, hand stretched out to offer her the other half of his.

"I saw from the window," he said. "What, did her breath smell? Did you accidentally bump noses?"

“No,” she sighed, taking the popsicle from him, using the hand that was now free as leverage to help herself up off the floor. “It was amazing, but I probably just ruined any chance of her being my friend ever again. I feel like my heart is going to leap out of my chest when she laughs or smiles at me, and she’s just so pretty, Sasuke. I just want to kiss her and hold her and let her know that I love her. You know how I feel, right?”

Sasuke shrugged, glancing over his shoulder. Sakura’s gaze followed, the entrance to Naruto and Sasuke’s bedroom revealing Naruto sprawled out on the floor in front of the fan, snoring loudly.

“You’re overreacting,” Sasuke poked her forehead. “Maybe if you were outright about your feelings, then you wouldn’t be freaking out over whether or not she likes you back,”

“I don’t need advice from someone who was so dense it took getting his arm blown off to realize that he loved his best friend,” Sakura said, letting the strawberry popsicle melt in her mouth. “Not my fault that you’re blind,”

Sasuke scoffed, turning his gaze back to Naruto. Sakura saw the way his face relaxed, the corner of his lip quirked up into a small smile. It was nice to have him back home, back with them where he belonged. He seemed happier, no longer chasing after revenge. She remembered finding them barely clinging to life at the Valley of the End, Naruto pulling Sasuke close after she had healed them to kiss the corner of Sasuke’s eye as he broke down in front of them, sobbing in relief that he was loved.

However, Sasuke was oblivious to Naruto’s devotion and persistent love of him until that point. They almost killed one another and that’s what took Sasuke to realize his love of Naruto.

“I may have been a bit-”

“Arrogant? Ignorant? An idiot?”

Sasuke rolled his eyes.

“Yeah, but that’s not the point,” Sasuke said. “Ino looks at you the way Naruto looks at me. She’d be stupid to not want a woman like you,”

Sakura felt something deep within her chest bloom warm, a lazy smile coming to her face. Naruto always looked at Sasuke as if he had hung the moon in the sky, like he was the most perfect thing created in this world.

If Ino looked at her the same way then Sakura had little to worry about.

“Praise from you? That’s something I thought I’d never hear,” she teased, dodging the playful nudge. “Does she really look at me like that?”

“Like a lovesick idiot? You’d have to be blind or stupid to not see it, Sakura. I thought you were the smart one of Team Seven,”

“Hey,”

“I’m kidding,” Sasuke said. “You are an idiot, though, for bolting. I’m not Naruto, I’m not going to give you some inspirational speech. Go out and admit that you like her,”

“Alright, alright,” Sakura said, feeling the worry melt away from Sasuke’s blunt advice. “Geez, I’ll just go to Kakashi-sensei for romance advice next time,”

“That pervert will probably tell you to take a page from one of those books he’s always reading,” Sasuke scoffed. “If you want to embarrass yourself in public, go ask our _esteemed_ Hokage, I suppose,”

They laughed, and Sakura already felt better.

 

Sakura, however, was also shy, so it took two days and an inspirational hype-up speech from Naruto to get her to go visit Ino.

“She’ll love you, and you’ll kiss and then we can go on double dates, ya know!” Naruto said, arm wrapped around Sasuke as Sasuke grumbled something about not wanting to go out to dinner with Ino. “Go make us proud, Sakura!”

Sakura felt her body buzzing with nervous energy as she walked down the street towards the Yamanaka flower shop, hands shaking. She had spent the past two days rambling to the boys about the perfect way to tell Ino how she felt and had spent all morning out in the sun to compile the perfect gift. Wrapped neatly in a cute arrangement hidden behind her back and the perfect confession, one suitable for an amazingly unique, assertive Ino Yamanaka, her bush clover.

She pushed open the door to the flower shop, nearly colliding with Inoichi, who was balancing an impressively large potted cactus.

“Whoa, there, kid!” he said, shifting his arms to adjust the pot in his arms. “Didn’t see you there! How’re you doing, Sakura?”

“I’m good, thank you,” Sakura smiled. “Is Ino here?”

“She’s out in the back,” Inoichi frowned, setting the pot down onto the front counter. “She came home two days ago mad as a boar and won’t tell me what’s wrong. Do you know?”

“I-”

“Dad!” Ino shouted, storming back up to the front. “You forgot to order the cactus dirt from Suna-”

Ino paused, nearly dropping the small succulent she was carrying.

She was breathtaking, Sakura thought as she felt her heart skip a beat. Ino had some dirt smeared on her cheek, probably where she accidentally brushed a gloved hand against it. Her hair was pulled back to reveal her pretty blush, and she was dressed down in her civilian clothes.

“Forehead, I didn’t know you’d be stopping by,” Ino set the small succulent down next to Inoichi’s pot. “Do you need something?”

“I actually have something for you,” Sakura said, proud that she didn’t stutter.

 _Stop being so nervous,_ Inner said, the calmer of the two. _Ino will like this._

 _I hope so,_ Sakura thought.

She pulled the bouquet out from behind her back, thrusting it out into Ino’s arms.

“I’m sorry,” Sakura said. “About the other day,”

Ino paused, letting a garden-gloved hand gingerly touch the petals of the bellflowers.

“It’s bellflower, violets, jonquil, aster, clovenlip toadflax, and-”

“Cosmos,” Ino’s voice was soft, her eyes looking a bit glossy from where Sakura stood before her. Ino pulled a cosmos from the bouquet, tucking the stem gently behind Sakura’s ear.

“I got those for you,” Sakura frowned, and she tried not to think of the dirt she was probably getting on her face as Ino’s hand came to rest on her cheek.

“You’re my favorite cosmos, Sakura,”

Ino leaned forward and kissed Sakura, quick and sweet. Much better than their first kiss, less awkward and calm.

Inoichi cleared his throat, pulling the girls from their moment.

“Uh, I can take over the shop for the day,” he offered, gesturing to the two. “Go out and have some fun. Don’t keep her out too late, Sakura,”

“Dad,” Ino groaned, tossing off her gardening gloves and taking Sakura’s hand in hers.

“Love you!” he called, Ino rolling her eyes as she waved him goodbye, Sakura in tow.

 

“I had fun tonight, Sasuke,” Naruto said, swinging their arms as the two walked the quiet streets of Konoha back to their apartment. “Told you we don’t always have to go get Ichiraku for date night,”

“I’m still shocked you eat something other than ramen,” Sasuke shook his head.

“I hope things went well with Sakura and Ino, ya know?” Naruto squeezed Sasuke’s hand in his before bringing it up to his lips, pressing a small kiss there. “I just want to see our girl happy,”

“Hm,”

“She deserves it!” Naruto demanded, fumbling to reach for the key to their place. “Poor Sakura has no life outside of the hospital and making sure we don’t burn the apartment down. She needs to go out more,”

“She’s a grown woman. She doesn’t need you dictating her life,” Sasuke let Naruto open the door first, stepping aside to let him through. He flicked on the light, pausing in his movements as Naruto collided into his back.

From their spot in the front hallway, Sasuke could see Ino’s pale back, Sakura’s hands clenched in her hair. It sounded like they were just kissing, and he silently prayed that that was all they were doing as Ino shifted Sakura into her lap. His teammate opening her eyes and meeting Sasuke’s, her body tensing.

“Hey, move it-” Naruto stopped, eyes locked with Sakura’s.

“Um, hi?” she offered, eyes wide like a startled deer as she looked at her teammates over Ino’s shoulder. “We’re totally _not_ making out on the couch, I swear,”

Sasuke grabbed Naruto by the collar of his shirt, dragging him back towards the door.

“Congrats on the relationship!” Naruto called, waving as the door slammed shut behind them.

Ino laughed into Sakura’s shoulder, pressing a kiss to the bare skin there.

“For a doctor, you sure are stupid sometimes,” Ino said.

“Stop,” Sakura covered her face with her hands. “We just got caught by Naruto and Sasuke of all people. Don’t make me feel any worse,”

As if she didn’t catch the two constantly, unable to keep their hands off one another.

Ino moved Sakura’s hands away from her face, kissing her once more.

She felt a lot better after that.

**Author's Note:**

> Sakura and Sasuke are wlw/mlm solidarity, and the boys love her even if she's a clueless lesbian.
> 
> The flowers I referenced in the bouquet Sakura made for Ino are: Jonquil: return my affection, violet: sapphic love, cosmos: orderly, beautiful, and ornamental, deep love, aster: Symbol of love, daintiness, talisman of love, trusting, clovenlip toadflax: please notice my love/feelings for you, bellflower: unwavering love and red tulip: perfect love, undying love, passion.
> 
> Thank you so much for reading! Please comment/critique if you would like to! :) I love hearing constructive criticism!


End file.
